Win By Losing
by Ditzybea
Summary: AU Takes place from Episode 7 of Season 3 "Eris Quod Sum" - Peter has lost his powers, Arthur Petrelli is alive and Sylar is by his side. How can the good guys defeat these villians? A mysterious woman enters the war, but whose side is she really on?
1. The Stranger

**I've been watching too many Heroes' episodes and this story has been banging around in my head. This is my first Heroes story and I hope I don't disappoint. This story takes place after Chapter 7 of Season 3 - Eris Quod Sum.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter One

**The Stranger**

The atmosphere felt full of electricity; bristling with it. Like just before a lighting storm, but the New York sky was crystal clear and unseasonably warm for March. The downtown was already going full speed at 10 o'clock in the morning. The traffic light at the corner of Columbus and W. 86th had just turned green. The cabs and other cars were just about to begin through the light when Mani saw the weirdest thing. Mani had been the owner and operator of the Newsstand there for the last 15 years. So to say this was the strangest thing he had ever seen was something. He looked up to the small alley across the street to see a young girl appear out of nowhere and stumble into the traffic. A cab halted in front of her and she put up her hands to protect herself. Mani shook his head from side to side and went back to tending to his stand.

The girl ran up to his stand and begun looking through his papers and magazines. She was making a right mess and she seemed a bit desperate. Not another meth head looking for money he thought to himself. He had had to deal with three this week alone. He grabbed at her arm and turned her towards him. The first thing he noticed was her eyes. They were a light violet with milky brown ring around the pupil. He had never seen eyes like that. The next thing he noticed was how healthy she looked; if she was an addict, she must have been a fresh one.

"Whatta think ure doin'?" he asked trying not to raise his voice too loud.

"What day is it?" She asked as she tried to look back at the papers. She saw the headline "Nathan Petrelli appointed Senator by Governor". She looked frantic. Sliding papers back and forth and pushing his customers out of the way. This girl was going to ruin his day; he knew that for sure now.

"It's Tuesday," he responded and begun trying to get this wacked out girl away from his livelihood. She turns back to him and grabs him by both arms.

"What. Day. Is. IT!" She is almost screaming now. He was astonished by how strong her grip was. She was about 5'5" and 150 pounds, but she was nearly breaking his arms.

"March 27th," she let out a breath as he saw a look of relief flood her young face and her grip loosened. He pulled away from her and blood begun to flow back into his hands.

"What time is it?" She asked. Would this girl just leave already?

"10.15 in the am," he answered. The panic was back on her face. She looked around and tried to gauge where she was.

"Damnit! I'm late!" she said to no one and ran back across the street. Dodging traffic as she went.

Yep! Strangest thing he had ever seen.

She went back to the alley and looked around her. She needed to be sure no one saw her. And she really needed to work on her "jumping". She took in a deep breath, pulled in on herself, and shot straight up into the sky. She hovered for a second and then saw her target.

A pier on the Hudson River.

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The 10 year old boy was right where she thought he'd be and so was his assailant. Bubba Scott was a 45 year old pizza delivery guy with an unhealthy like of little boys. She watched from the air as the boy ran down the pier and hid behind a storage crate. Bubba was toying with the boy; purposely taking his time. As much as he liked playing with boys, the fear was just as much fun. The boy had been running from his guy since he tried to grab him about ten blocks ago. Being homeless, no one pays attention to a running boy. His legs were burning and he just wanted to crawl into a hole to hide. She could hear him begin to cry and she saw Bubba grab him from behind. The boy screamed and struggled to get away. Bubba swung him from side to side, laughing the whole time.

God, she hated this guy. She quietly lowered herself to the ground. She waited and watched.

The boy had one more trick up his sleeve; literally. As Bubba begun to smell the boy's hair at the base of his neck, the boy pulled a makeshift knife from his coat sleeve and stabbed it into Bubba's thigh. The man screamed in agony and dropped the boy. As soon as the boy's feet hit the pier's surface, he ran up the pier; further into the Hudson River. She laughed as she saw Bubba fight to get the rusty metal out of his leg.

That was when he used his ability.

He put his left hand out and pointed his palm toward the water. She watched as the water begun to swoosh and swirl. A huge ball of water came up and out the river; he closed his fist to suspend the ball just above the river's surface. He swung his fist toward the boy and the ball flew through the air. It brushed across the pier's surface and the ball exploded into the boy as Bubba opened his fist. The rush of the water knocked the boy off his feet and he rolled before finally coming to a stop. She watched the boy lay on the ground, not moving. Bubba was up and he was pissed. He pulled the knife out of his leg and threw it away. He limped over to the edge of the pier and looked down into the dark water. He was going to have fun with this kid. Bubba stretched both of his hands over the river and she could hear the water begin to roar. She heard and saw the boy move.

Now was her chance.

Bubba pulled another ball of water out of river and raised it above his head. She jumped to her feet and ran at the boy. Bubba waved his hands across his body and the ball of water flew through air at the small boy. She slid to his side, scooped her arm under him, and pulled him to her. She closed her eyes and a bowed her head. Bubba watched as a flash of light came out her followed by a force field that covered the boy and her. She shook the boy awake. His eyes slowly opened and she set him down.

"Run! NOW!" The boy did not need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet and ran down the pier, toward the street. She slowed stood up and turned to face Bubba. Bubba wore an expression of pure shock. He had never seen anyone else with a power before. Here he thought he was the only one. The look of shock slowly went to fear as he saw the look on her face. He swallowed hard.

"Think you can beat me girlie?" He tried to hide his quavering voice.

"And I'm looking forward to it," she slipped her coat off her shoulders and tossed it aside. She was nearly a foot shorter than him. Even if she had that bubble thing, how was she going to beat him? Sure, she had good upper body strength, but still. It was like a western movie standoff. They stood nearly 50 yards away each other; both waiting for the other to make their move. She listened and heard the water under her feet begin to rumble, but she struck first. She extended her hand out and grabbed a crate ten yards away. She whirled the crate at him, it splintered as it hit him, and he doubled-over in pain. She jumped into the air and landed on top of him; knocking him out. She rolled him onto his stomach and cuffed his hands behind his back.

"Be back later," she whispered to him. She walked, picked up her coat, and flew into the air. She had another stop to make.

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Peter was still sore as hell and Claire wasn't much help. He could see by looking at her that she was different. She still had that spark in her eye that he first saw in that high school hallway, but it wasn't nearly as bright. He was worried that she was slowly becoming that future Claire that, quite frankly, scared him. Every move hurt. He knew that falling seven stories would hurt, but he figured that he would never have to experience it firsthand. Claire gave him some aspirin and he tossed them down him throat.

"Look, Claire. In the future," he was cut off by loud banging on his door.

"Open up!" A woman's voice yelled through the door. Claire answered the door and was immediately pushed out of the way. The woman rushed into the apartment and walked right pass Peter. Claire entered the room and stood next to Peter, in a fighting stance. Whoever she was, Claire was ready to at least fight. The woman came back into the living room and stopped mid stride.

"Whoa, weird," she said as she caught sight of Peter and Claire standing there. "Did I miss Nathan and Tracy?" She inquired. Peter and Claire looked at each and then back at her. Peter was able to really see her now. She was about 25 or 26 with short curly brunette hair with blonde highlights brushed through. She was wearing blue jeans with a purple lace tank top with a black one layered over it. Her black jacket was loose and rested just at her hip. The edges of her jeans were wet and she looked at bit frantic.

"What?" Peter asked.

"Did I miss them already?!" She demanded.

"Yeah, they just left," Claire answered.

"Damn! I really have to work on my timing. We gotta go," she said as she started back toward the door.

"Wait! Who are you?!" Peter yelled and she stopped just before his front door. Her head dropped slightly, her shoulders fell, and she turned back toward them.

"My name is Angela. Angela Petrelli,"

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**Well, whatta think? This will not be as long as some of my other stories, but review me and let me know.**

**Thanks!**


	2. Shock and Awe

**A bit of writer's block and work have taken me away from my writing. Here is another chapter. It's a bit long, but I hope you guys like it. It was a bit rushed in places.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter Two

**Shock and Awe**

Peter sat in disbelief as he heard what the woman had just said and tried to take it in. He looked at Claire and back at Angela. Neither one could believe it. Angela was getting annoyed and shifted from her left foot to her right.

"Are you going to just sit there and stare at me or are we going to go?" she said as she gestured toward the door. "Time's a wastin' and they _**will**_ die," she said in a very condescending tone. Peter and Claire looked at each other. Angela's eyes rolled. Her assignment was going to take forever if this was how fast they worked. Peter groaned as he stood and Claire helped him right himself. Peter grabbed his jacket and the three of them walked out into the hallway. Angela stopped at the window at the far end of the hall and turned back towards them.

"Ok, take my hands," Angela said as she extended her hands out in front of her. Peter and Claire were weary of this young girl and they showed it. Angela did not have the time to explain everything that was going to happen if they didn't get the show on the road. "This way is faster,"

Peter took her left and Claire her right and they both watched as she closed her eyes. Her nose wrinkled as she concentrated very hard. Peter knew that face and what they were about to do. The next thing he realized, they were standing outside the Pinehearst Company corporate office in Fort Lee, NJ. Angela swayed lightly and was glad that they each had a hold her; they kept her standing up right. She hated that sudden stop; it always made her stomach swirl. She pulled her hands away and took in her surroundings. It was such a non-descript space. It was hard to believe that this was the place where it all began. Angela looked up at the building. She could see the broken window that Peter apparently fell out of. The grounds were well-manicured and that almost made the building look legitimate. Angela shrugged her shoulders and her coat fell away. Claire looked upon her with confusion.

"What are you doing?" Claire asked in a rather short manner.

"Are you kidding? I love this jacket," was the only answer she gave. Claire watched as the older woman loving placed it on a bench nearby. Claire looked at Peter, but his gaze was fixed on the window he was pushed out of. She lovingly touched his arm to bring him back to reality. His eyes locked on hers and they shared an understanding. "You guys ready?" Angela asked over her shoulder as she continued toward the building's double doors. They had to run to catch up.

Angela looked at the doors and tried to assess her options. They were made out of shatter proof glass and she also noticed they were heat resistant. She could probably force them open, but where was the fun in that. She could hear Claire and Peter stop just behind her.

"Get behind me,"

"What?" Peter asked.

"Get behind me!" Peter and Claire did as they were told and stood behind the woman. She turned her head to the left and to right; her neck cracking severely. They could hear her take in a long, deep breath and then they had to cover their ears. A shockwave roared out of Angela and rattled the building. The doors shook and groaned as if they were trying to hold the sound out, but it was the hinges that gave first. The doors flew into the lobby and Angela could hear them hit a wall deep inside. She coughed slightly and laughed as she walked in with Peter and Claire following in stunned disbelief. Peter had already seen her use teleport and now a sonic power, what else did she have in her arsenal?

Their entrance was not exactly a quiet one. Angela had drawn the attention of the building's security staff. There did not seem to be an extra ordinary power in any of the guards that rushed the open lobby; each one was only armed with a gun. The guards stood around them in a semi-circle, each about three feet from each other. The sounds of hammers knocking back were all that could be heard. Peter could hear Angela's breath catch just a bit. He saw her shoulders tense. He then heard her whisper.

"Get close to me,"

After everything that he had seen already, he knew better then to question her. Peter grabbed Claire's arm and stepped just behind Angela. She bowed her head and a burst of light came out of her chest followed by a force field. Peter had never seen an actual force field, but he figured that this was what one would look like. The bullets flew toward them. Angela's jaw clenched as she concentrated on withholding the field. The bullets hit the pale blue bubble and ricocheted away. Some of the bullets hit windows, leaving a shatter mark behind. Others hit the walls or the furniture that decorated the lobby. While even others hit people; several of the guards fell as bullets hit them. As the still standing guards stopped their assault, Angela took in another deep breath and the force field expanded rapidly. This knocked the remaining guards off their feet and hurtling out of range. Peter could not believe his eyes.

Who or what was this girl?

Angela looked up into the second floor walkway of the open lobby. Peter and Claire watched as she jumped from the ground level to the second floor without a problem. If Peter was not nervous about this woman before, he was even more so now. It appeared she had some kind of flight power as well, but Peter could not dwell on this now. If what she said was true than his brother was in trouble and nothing was going to stop him from getting to Nathan. Claire and him took the normal way; running up the two flights of stairs and tried to catch up to Angela.

Angela continued down the hall, dispatching all that came her way. Peter could just make out her form at the end of the hall. She obviously had super human strength as well; he watched her launch a 6'4" man off his feet and sliding down the hall. She was taking care of his father's guards without much problem and Peter feared what really was driving this woman. He and Claire ran to keep up with her; passing injured security personal as they went.

Angela came to the door she wanted. She knew that she had triggered an alarm, but that was what she was hoping for. She listened at the door and heard Arthur's voice.

"Come give your father a hug," he said addressing Nathan.

She grabbed the door's handles and pulled the doors off their hinges. If she wanted the element of surprise she got it. She saw Nathan and Tracy standing across the room from Arthur and Gabriel. Gabriel, sensing danger, made a move at the intruding woman. She was faster. She swung her arm across her body and sent him flying. Peter saw this and mentally added telekinesis to her power set. Gabriel flew through the air and hit the far wall. He landed hard on the ground and moaned as all of his breath rushed out of him. His vision was blurry and he could not even move; it was a good thing that he had a healing power. As Gabriel lay in a semi-unconscious pile on the floor, Arthur took charge. Using his own telekinesis power, he threw a sofa at her. Angela was nearly not fast enough as she was able to stop the piece of furniture a mere foot from her body. Holding the projectile in front of her, she threw it back at him along with a chair that had been sitting next to her. Arthur deflected the sofa, but the chair hit him square on and sent him through the window that Peter had previously exited from. She was not going to let him get away that easily. Peter, Nathan, Tracy, and Claire watched as she ran across the room and jumped out the window to follow Arthur to the ground below. The others chased after her. Peter, with the assistance of Nathan, followed right behind her. Claire and Tracy ran out of the room and toward the stairs taking the old-fashion way down.

Nathan and Peter finally found them; Angela was standing over Arthur delivering punches. They watched as Arthur delivered an electrified punch of his own. The blue light hit her square in the stomach. Angela was sent back about ten feet and landed on her hands and knees. She gasped for air and looked to see Arthur struggle to sit up. She had clearly broken his cheekbone and possibly his nose as well. She then watched as his face begun to heal itself. Angela looked at him through hooded eyes, her entire body becoming tense. Picking up a piece of glass, Peter watched as she cut a long gash across her hand and staggered to her feet. Claire and Tracy joined the Petrelli brothers as they watched as the two obvious foes stood across from each other. Arthur's hands begun to glow yellow and Angela's were a bright blue.

"Nathan, do something," Peter urged his brother.

"You guys get to that car and get out of here. We'll meet at the beach that dad use to take us to," Nathan told his brother. The other three took off toward the parking lot as Nathan ran at Angela. She was about to jump at Arthur, but Nathan caught her mid-air and flew them away. Arthur wiped blood from his face and watched a jet stream follow the couple.

This was getting more interesting, Arthur thought to himself as he walked back inside.

Peter pulled the car to a stop in the parking lot of a deserted beach area. He started to pace back and forth in front of the car. He had long forgotten his injuries and was now worrying about his brother. He hoped that Nathan was able to get away with or without Angela. His worrying was about to reach a fever pitch when he finally spotted them. Nathan had his arms wrapped around her chest and she was struggling against him. Nathan lowered them to the ground and released her. She was all fury and fight at this point.

"URGH! You people are idiots! After everything I did to get you two out of there, you guys totally shot my plan to hell!" She screamed at them and begun to pace around the parking lot. She needed an outlet, something! She turned toward the car and delivered a kick. Her boot shot through the window and glass splintered everywhere. Peter was suddenly relieved that no one else was in parked around them. How would they explain this?

"What power was that?" Peter asked rather naively.

"That was me. What am I going to do now?" Her last question was to herself. She ran your hands through her hair and returned to pacing around the small parking lot.

"What exactly was your plan?" Nathan asked.

"What does it matter? It's ruined now," her voice was still louder than it needed to be. Her anger was still boiling out of her.

"I don't trust her," Tracy said to anyone.

"I am not going to talk about trust with you," Angela responded with a bit of knowing in her voice. Tracy shifted in place slightly. Could she know what she did? Tracy was thinking to herself. There was no way that this girl could know what she had planned to talk about with Arthur. There was no way. Nathan was leery of this woman, but if what he saw was true, then what were they suppose to do next?

First his father was alive and powers of his own. Well, he had Peter's powers now. He was also aligned with Sylar; a murderer by his own admission. He always knew that a streak of evil ran through his dad, but this was something that he was not ready for. He suddenly remembered what his mother said on the day of his dad's "funeral". "Do not idolize him. Your father was flawed in ways you will never know"

"I have to go back," Angela said and begun to try to get her bearings. She was so angry when Nathan pulled her out of there that she was not even paying attention to where they were. Nathan and Peter exchanged a look and watched as she walked toward the road. She was hoping for any kind of sign to give her a hint as to her location.

"Do you think that is such a good idea?" Peter asked as he chased after her. He had seen what his father could do first hand and did not want to subject anyone else to that fate.

"There is nothing else I can do," she said is a rather short tone.

"You don't exactly have the element of surprise the second time," Nathan said in his regular condescending manner. Peter just rolled his eyes. Both of them were now following behind her. "Who is this?" Nathan whispered to Peter. Peter realized that he did not know her name.

"I'm not going to let you just run in there," Peter said as he ran and stopped in front of her. She stopped and stared at the man. She put her hands on her hips and gave him a once over. He was still covered in bruises from his fall. A few of the visible scars had begun to heal, but they were still going to around for awhile.

"Whatta gonna do Pete? Talk me out of it? Persuade me not to go? Convince me? You saw the power I have, do you really think that you could convince me to do anything?" She waited a beat to let her words sink in. "Get out of my way," she said a very calm, even voice. She took a step to go around Peter, but he matched her step to stay in her path. "Fine," she answered and lowered her right hand. A small bit of light danced between her fingers, as if it was a warning. She wasn't going to be able to give another. At that moment, Angela was launched through the air and hit a dumpster sitting about six feet away in the small parking lot. Nathan and Peter looked in the direction of the attack and saw Tracy standing there. Her hand was covered in ice and she was breathing real heavy. She had managed to throw an ice blast at Angela when her back to her.

"I didn't know what to do. She's dangerous and she was going to get us all killed," she said in a panicked voice. Claire, Nathan and Peter ran to Angela's side. She was still breathing, but she had a large spot of frost bite on her back. Nathan and Peter carefully rolled her over onto her back and checked the rest of her. Luckily she sustained no other injuries, but she was out.

Problem now was……what to do with her?

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**Ain't she something!?!**

**Thanks for reading and a review would be appreciated! They can only help a story!**

**Stay Tuned!**


	3. Explaining to Do

**Major case of Writer's block, sorry. I usually watch the show I'm writing about to get my inspiration, but I know if I watch the current episodes it will screw up the storyline I have planned. I will try to get the rest of this to you.**

**Thanks for your patience and enjoy!**

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Chapter Three

**Explaining to Do**

It was the pain in her arm that woke her. Her left shoulder to be more accurate. Her feet were also asleep and the blood was rushing to her face. She could tell she was sitting up, in a straight back chair. She was tied to the chair with her arms bound behind her. The ropes were also wrapped around her torso and then down to her thighs and feet. The only thought that entered her mind at that moment was "Where did they get this much rope?" She turned her head from side to side to help loosen her tense muscles. But all that managed to do was make her even woozier. She groaned as everything seemed to spin around her. Her next coherent thought was, "I'm going to kick Tracy's ass!"

"She's waking up," she heard a woman say. She still hadn't opened her eyes, but she knew that voice to be Claire's. Angela then heard and felt footsteps entering from another room. They were large footfalls that meant Peter and Nathan were still here. She raised her head and carefully opened her eyes; letting in a little bit of light at a time. She flinched a few times before she was able to finally open them all the way.

They were in Peter's apartment. The windows were open and a light breeze was blowing through the room. Nathan was now sitting in front of her in his own straight back chair. He was leaning forward resting his elbows on his knees. Peter was standing behind him. He had a look of concern, but also apprehension on his face. Claire was sitting on a sofa watching everyone and Tracy was barely visible in the kitchen. She seemed to be as far away from Angela as she could and still be considered in the apartment.

"How are you feeling?" Peter asked. She could tell that his question was genuine. Nathan looked over his shoulder at his younger brother. Peter always did have a soft spot for others. That drove Nathan crazy! Angela let out a deep, chesty cough before she coughed.

"All right, considering," her voice came out hoarser than she wanted. She wanted to sound weak, not near death. "What are you going to do with me now?" She asked.

"We haven't decided that yet," Nathan said plainly. He leaned back in the chair and looked her over. She was young, but old enough to take care of herself. From what he saw she had the powers to do just that. After Tracy knocked her out, Peter and him put her in the car and brought her back here. Peter had told him about her, well what he knew anyway. Peter had seen her use a sonic and force field power and she also appeared to be able to teleport. Nathan saw her use telekinesis and flight powers. He wasn't sure he wanted to know about the power that made her hands glow blue.

"Peter said something about you being Angela Petrelli,"

"That's my name," she answered.

"And we are supposed to believe that?" It was easy to hear the disbelief in Nathan's voice.

"I just saved you from one of the most dangerous man in the….well ever and you don't trust me?"

"Should we?" Tracy chimed in from the edge of the living room. She had been slowly getting closer as Nathan and Angela spoke. Gauging her safety as she went.

"With the powers I have, I could have killed all of you and gone about my day, but I didn't. Did I?"

"Why are you here?" Claire inquired as she stood and stepped closer.

"Save the world,"

That was a tune that all of them had been hearing for far too long. Especially Claire. She had been saved once by Peter, but not the second time. Sylar had gotten to her then, but the world did not end. Claire was beginning to think that this woman, whoever she was, was full of it. Claire visibly rolled her eyes.

"You don't believe me?" Angela asked. She knew what they were thinking. Well, not literally, but she could tell by their body language. Nathan and Claire stood with their arms crossed and dark, stern looks on their faces. She could tell they were father and daughter. Peter looked like he was hoping for anything to help him help her.

"Prove it to us," Nathan said.

"What?"

"Prove it. Tell me something about the future,"

"I can't do that," Angela said defiantly.

"Why not?" Tracy wondered.

"Because I have already changed things enough. I am not going to make it even worse," she finished. The four of them looked at each other in disbelief. Peter was inclined to believe her, but he _wanted_ to believe her. He had seen the future, twice, and God knows he tried to fix it as well. He was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Pete believes me, don't ya?" She said as she leaned back slightly. She was hoping she could just alleviate the pressure on her now throbbing shoulder. The others looked at Peter and all he could do was nod in agreement. Nathan just rolled his eyes at his brother's gullibility. He always was a soft touch.

"How do you know she's telling the truth?" Claire whispered to Peter guardedly.

"I don't know. I can just feel it,"

"I hope your feeling doesn't get us killed," Nathan countered as he stood up and joined Tracy who was now standing in the living room with the rest of them.

"You want me to prove to that I am not a danger to you?" Angela asked. She foot was tapping on the hardwood floor. Her impatience with them was growing. She thought that they would be hard to win over, but if she had done her job right in the right place she would have had to sell them on anything. Her timing was off when she "jumped" and not to mention fighting Arthur. She let her emotions get the better of her, but after everything he had done to her she just couldn't keep herself detached. Her mentor had warned her before he had encouraged her jump back to 2007. He said it would be difficult, but she never realized how much. She would not and could not make that mistake again.

Nathan was intrigued by what she offered. How could she prove it? His natural curiosity won out against his rational side.

"How can you do that?"

"Well," Angela then stood straight up, shrugging off the ropes that had just been holding her to the chair. The chair's back smacked hard against the hardwood floor and they all took a noticeable step back. "A little field trip anyone?" She finished with a smile as she straightened her shirt.

"Could you get out of those the whole time?" Tracy asked; fear entering her voice more than she meant to.

"Well, yeah," Angela responded with a shy smile. She was trying not to come off conceited, but she was her father's daughter. "Ok, take my hands. All of you need to be touching me," Nathan's eyebrow shot up. He definitely was having ill feelings about this girl. "Don't worry, we aren't going to start chanting or anything," Angela said tauntingly. Nathan and Peter each took a hand while Claire and Tracy clasped onto her wrists. They watched her closely as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. One moment they were standing in Peter's living room and now they were standing on a pier some 15 miles away.

Again Angela swayed back as they stopped. This time she had a slight tingle in the back of her throat.

"Whoa," she said as she got her bearings back. The breeze near the water was stronger than it had been at Peter's. Goosebumps quickly ran up her bare arms and back. "Did anyone grab my jacket?" She asked anyone around. She was referring to the jacket she shrugged off when they were back at Pinehearst. Peter and Claire shook their heads. "Damnit! I loved that jacket!" She mumbled to herself. Claire and Peter shared a look of uneasiness at her haughty attitude, especially after the morning they all shared. Tracy and Nathan looked about their new surroundings.

They were still in New York.

On a pier.

And nothing of notice around them. What exactly was she going to do? Angela started to walk away from them down a pier. The others quickly walked in step with her. All were curious to see what she had for them.

"Do you think you could do that ice blast thing again?" Nathan quietly asked Tracy.

"I think so, why?" She asked in response.

"You may need to do it again. Just be ready all right," Nathan's eyes locked hers and she simply nodded in response.

"Do you really trust her?" Claire whispered to Peter; Nathan could just make you their interaction.

"Yes, I do. I don't know why but I do. I can feel she's telling the truth,"

"Why are we here?" Nathan asked as they came to a stop. Angela had her arms folded across her chest. She hoped she looked imposing, but truly she was just trying to get warm. She nodded to a dark lump just a bit further up the pier lying on the wooden floor. The five of them walked closer. It was a man. He was about 40, overweight and bleeding from a cut on his forehead. His hands were bound behind him with a plastic tie. He was unconscious, but he was still breathing.

"Wakey, wakey," Angela said as she nudged the man with her foot. He simply groaned in response. "Don't have time for this," she muttered under breath. She then kicked him hard in the stomach twice before Peter pulled her away.

"What are you doing?" Peter shouted.

"What? He's not dead!" She exclaimed, as if that answer was logical. Feeling frustration overtaking her, she grabbed Bubba by the collar and pulled him to his feet. "Everyone, this is Bubba. Bubba, this is everyone," she made casual introductions. The man was obviously suffering from a good deal of pain and Peter was fighting the urge to help him. But without any powers, he would not be able to fight Angela.

"What the hell do you want?" Bubba screamed at Angela as she pushed him back. She gave him a slight wave of her right hand and the ties on his wrists fell away. Bubba realizing him hands were now free, stood up a bit taller. He was going to make her bleed and he chuckled lightly at the thought of it. "I'm gonna enjoy hurting you,"

"Really?" Angela asked. She gave the others a quick glance and then gave them a little demonstration. She kicked him hard in the gut, doubling him over. She grabbed either side of his face and closed her eyes. Her hands glowed a pale green that travelled up her forearms. The light grew in intensity that seemed to explode and push them apart.

"You bitch! I'm gonna see you bleed,"

"All right. Whip it out," she responded as hooked her thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans. She was so casual and at ease. So much so that Nathan and Peter was growing increasing wary of her. Anyone this arrogant has reason to be so; that thought was starting to grind into Claire's stomach. She hasn't trusted many for awhile and she definitely did not trust Angela. Or whatever her name was.

All of them watched as Bubba extended his right hand out toward the water about twenty feet away. They watched him flex and straighten his fingers; his arm was shaking. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated on whatever he was trying to accomplish. Pain and confusion came over him as he looked back at Angela. He gave up and looked at her, hoping for an explanation. "I don't…"

"What? Is this what you wanted?" She asked as she mirrored his previous movements. She stretched her left arm out and extended her fingers. The others each stepped closer to get a better view as the water begin to swirl. What they saw next was astounding. The water began to wave and curl as a ball of it rose up from the water's surface. Angela turned her hand over as the water floated in the air toward them. The ball was getting smaller and smaller as it travelled and came to stop just above her open palm. The water then lowered and rested in her palm. Angela slowly closed her hand around the ball. The control she had over the water gave away and the water streamed through her closed fingers.

Peter let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Tears seemed to forming at the edge of Bubba's eyes. She took it and he didn't understand how or why. She was special like he was and why would she do this to him.

"What's wrong? Missing something?" She teased. "Boo!" She shouted and took a quick step at him. Bubba jumped back in fear; holding his hands in front of him to protect himself. She took one more step at him. He turned and ran up the pier toward the busy city. She rubbed her wet palm on her jeans and turned to face the others.

The looks of fear and anger on their faces gave her one response….

"What?!?"

* * *

**More to come. Sorry this chapter was bit rushed, but I want to get through this story so I can watch Heroes again. ;)**

**Stay Tuned.**


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